SUPER-FIT pensioner Mike Davies needed a special challenge to raise money for seriously-ill children so he decided to walk half a marathon – in a swimming pool

For 10 to 12 hours, the 70-year-old grandfather and his friend Allan Elliot, 56, will pace up and down the pool at Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre.

The pair would need to complete more than 840 lengths of a 25m pool to complete their 13-mile challenge on May 5.

The two grandfathers from Blackwood are hoping to raise money for Welsh children’s cancer charity Latch based at the Children’s Hospital for Wales.

“We’re walking in 3ft of water at the leisure centre,” said former coal miner Mike, who worked at Merthyr Vale and Markham collieries before his retirement in 1986.

“We think it’s going to take us around 10 to 12 hours, but we’re into unknown territory.

“It was me who came up with the idea. I’ve done a lot of triathlons, I swim three times a week, cycle and run and I did the Cardiff Half Marathon last year for Latch in one hour and 35 minutes.

“I like doing things like this although my wife Shirley thinks I’m mad.

“There is a gentleman in our local whose daughter had cancer and he wanted to give something back. He organised a bike ride from North to South Wales which we did last year and managed to raise £3,000 for Latch.

“When we presented the cheque to them we saw all the good work they do there and I thought of us doing this for the charity.”

Mike and Allan met through their love of cycling as members of the New Tredegar Nomads Cycling Club.

“We’ve started our training,” said Allan, who works for Caerphilly County Borough Council. “It’s totally different from walking or running a 13-mile half-marathon as we’re walking against the water.

“We’ve done a mile-and-a-half which took us an hour and it’s quite difficult as it’s 31 degrees so it gets very warm.

“After visiting Latch and seeing the fantastic work they do there, the pain we are going to go through is nothing compared to the children and what they have to go through.”

Dan Burrows, Latch senior social worker, said: “Latch relies entirely on voluntary fundraisers, we have no paid fundraisers, which means we are able to put the maximum resources into services for children in Wales with cancer and leukaemia and their families.

“Mike and Alan’s walk is certainly very unusual, and we wish them every success. We are very grateful to all people who give up their time and energy to raise funds for our cause.”